New Delhi [India], January 27 (ANI): India and the European Union are set to elevate their long-standing strategic engagement, first formalised in 2004, with the signing of a Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), which can discover avenues for India’s participation in European defence initiatives.
At the sixteenth India-EU Summit immediately, PM Narendra Modi will maintain restricted and delegation-level discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
An India-EU Business Forum may also happen alongside the summit.
The assembly will broadly give attention to commerce, defence and security cooperation, local weather motion, essential applied sciences, and reinforcing the rules-based international order.
In addition to advancing the free commerce settlement (FTA), each side are anticipated to roll out a defence framework pact and announce a strategic agenda.
The summit is being co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the European Council and European Commission.
The earlier summit was carried out just about in July 2020.
A subsequent leaders’ assembly involving representatives from all 27 EU member states was held in Porto, Portugal, in May 2021, with the Prime Minister taking part just about.
India and the EU are additionally analyzing the opportunity of concluding a Security of Information Agreement (SOIA) and a mobility pact.
Agreements in different sectors are anticipated, whereas discussions are additionally anticipated to cowl the Russia-Ukraine battle and developments in West Asia.
Negotiations on the FTA had been initially launched in 2007 however had been paused in 2013 due to variations in ambition, earlier than being revived in June 2022.
Bilateral ties between India and the EU have steadily expanded throughout areas together with commerce, funding, local weather change, science and expertise, area, digital cooperation, mobility and connectivity.
In February final 12 months, the EU College of Commissioners led by von der Leyen visited New Delhi, marking the primary such go to to any associate nation exterior Europe.
Von der Leyen, alongside with then European Council President Charles Michel, had earlier travelled to India for the G20 Summit in September 2023, whereas she additionally undertook an official go to in April 2022.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Brussels in June final 12 months for the inaugural India-EU Strategic Dialogue.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was in Brussels in January, whereas EU Commissioner for Trade Marcos Sefcovic visited India in December 2025.
Goyal met the EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity in Berlin in October 2025.
In September 2025, EU Commissioners for Trade and Agriculture travelled to India and held conferences with him.
Beyond commerce and defence, the third part of the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership (CECP), launched in 2016, was adopted in November 2024.
The EU turned a associate organisation of the International Solar Alliance in 2018 and joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in March 2021.
The European Investment Bank continues to again India’s local weather and power transition by funding for sustainable transport and city mobility initiatives, together with city rail and metro techniques.
Cooperation additionally extends to offshore wind power, gasoline infrastructure improvement, methane emission discount, funding, and expertise switch.
In July 2020, India’s Department of Atomic Energy and EURATOM signed an settlement on analysis and improvement collaboration for peaceable nuclear purposes.
The India-EU Connectivity Partnership, launched in 2021, concentrates on transport, digital and power networks, in addition to facilitating flows of individuals, items, providers, knowledge and capital.
Both sides agreed in June 2025 on an administrative association for trilateral improvement cooperation on initiatives in third international locations.
Scientific collaboration is guided by the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed in 2007, with a joint steering committee advancing initiatives in good grids, water, vaccines, polar science and the mobility of younger scientists linked with the European Research Council.
Under the India-EU Water Partnership, adopted in 2016, a joint working group opinions developments in water coverage.
The sixth EU-India Water Forum was held in New Delhi in September 2024.
On area cooperation, the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space met India’s Minister of State for Science and Technology in New Delhi in February 2025.
The first India-EU Space Dialogue was convened in Brussels in November 2025.
Isro and the European Space Agency signed a joint assertion of intent on cooperation in human area exploration in May 2025.
On migration and mobility, the ninth India-EU High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Mobility was hosted in New Delhi in November 2025. (ANI)